Method and system for multi-device communication

ABSTRACT

A medical data system including a plurality of receivers configured to wirelessly receive medical data via a signal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for managinghealth data. More particularly, the disclosure relates a method andsystem for interfacing with a medical device.

BACKGROUND

Many fields of medical treatment and healthcare require monitoring ofcertain body functions, physical states and conditions, and patientbehaviors. Thus, e.g., for patients suffering from diabetes, a regularcheck of the blood glucose level forms an essential part of the dailyroutine. The blood glucose level has to be determined quickly andreliably, often several times per day. Medical devices are used tofacilitate the collection of medical information without undulydisturbing the lifestyle of the patient. A large number of medicaldevices for monitoring various body functions are commerciallyavailable. Also, medical treatment and healthcare may require monitoringof exercise, diet, meal times, stress, work schedules and otheractivities and behaviors.

To reduce the frequency of necessary visits to doctors, the idea of homecare gained popularity over the recent years. Technological advancementsin medicine led to the increased use of medical devices. Many of thesemedical devices, such as meters and medicine delivery devices, are ableto collect and store measurements and other data for long periods oftime. Other devices, such as computers, portable digital assistants(PDAs), and cell phones, have been adapted to medical uses by thedevelopment of software directed to the collection of healthcare data.These advancements led to the development of health management systemsthat enable collection and use of large numbers of variables and largeamounts of healthcare data. While systems were traditionally developedfor use in healthcare facilities and health management organizationsincluding insurance companies and governmental agencies (HCP systems),increased technological sophistication by the populous at large led tothe increased use of health management systems by patients, care givers,and others (patient systems) in addition to increased use by HCPsystems. U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,578 and U.S. Published Application No.2004/0172284 disclose two such methods and systems. Many of thesesystems are able to transfer data between them.

SUMMARY

The disclosure relates to a method and system for interfacing between ahealthcare management system and medical devices. One embodiment of thesystem includes a medical data transmission system including a firstdongle coupled to a first computing entity and configured to wirelesslyreceive medical data via a signal generated by a first medical device;and a second dongle coupled to the first computing entity and configuredto wirelessly receive medical data via a signal generated by a secondmedical device; the second dongle being configured to wirelessly receivemedical data simultaneously with the first dongle wirelessly receivingmedical data.

In another embodiment, a computer readable medium is provided. Thecomputer readable medium including operating instructions thereon suchthat when interpreted by a processor cause the processor to perform thestep of simultaneously wirelessly downloading medical information from afirst and second medical data devices.

In another embodiment, a medical data transmission system is provided.The system including a first transceiver configured to wirelesslyreceive medical data from a first medical device via a first datasignal; the first transceiver emitting a first beacon signal detectableby the first medical device, and a second transceiver configured towirelessly receive medical data from a second medical device via asecond data signal; the second transceiver emitting a second beaconsignal detectable by the second medical device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference isestablished to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a health management system comprising ahealthcare system and a homecare system; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dongle that is part of the systems ofFIG. 1.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Although the drawings representembodiments of various features and components according to the presentinvention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certainfeatures may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explainthe present invention. The exemplification set out herein illustratesembodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to beconstrued as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thedisclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings, which are described below. The embodiments disclosed beloware not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the preciseform disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, theembodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the artmay utilize their teachings. It will be understood that no limitation ofthe scope of the invention is thereby intended. The disclosure includesany alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices anddescribed methods and further applications of the principles of thedisclosure which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to whichthe disclosure relates.

Concepts described below may be further explained in one of more of theco-filed patent applications entitled HELP UTILITY FUNCTIONALITY ANDARCHITECTURE Ser. No. 11/999,906, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GRAPHICALLYINDICATING MULTIPLE DATA VALUES Ser. No. 11/999,853, SYSTEM AND METHODFOR DATABASE INTEGRITY CHECKING Ser. No. 11/999,856, METHOD AND SYSTEMFOR DATA SOURCE AND MODIFICATION TRACKING Ser. No. 11/999,888,PATIENT-CENTRIC HEALTHCARE INFORMATION MAINTENANCE Ser. No. 11/999,874,EXPORT FILE FORMAT WITH MANIFEST FOR ENHANCED DATA TRANSFER Ser. No.11/999,867, GRAPHIC ZOOM FUNCTIONALITY FOR A CUSTOM REPORT Ser. No.11/999,932, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVE MERGING OF PATIENT DATA Ser.No. 11/999,859, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERSONAL MEDICAL DATA DATABASEMERGING Ser. No. 11/999,772, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WIRELESS DEVICECOMMUNICATION Ser. No. 11/999,879, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SETTING TIMEBLOCKS Ser. No. 11/999,968, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED DATA TRANSFERSer. No. 11/999,911, COMMON EXTENSIBLE DATA EXCHANGE FORMAT Ser. No.11/999,871, METHOD OF CLONING SERVER INSTALLATION TO A NETWORK CLIENTSer. No. 11/999,876, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR QUERYING A DATABASE Ser. No.11/999,912, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EVENT BASED DATA COMPARISON Ser. No.11/999,921, DYNAMIC COMMUNICATION STACK Ser. No. 11/999,934, SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR REPORTING MEDICAL INFORMATION Ser. No. 11/999,878, METHOD ANDSYSTEM FOR MERGING EXTENSIBLE DATA INTO A DATABASE USING GLOBALLY UNIQUEIDENTIFIERS Ser. No. 11/999,947, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACTIVATINGFEATURES AND FUNCTIONS OF A CONSOLIDATED SOFTWARE APPLICATION Ser. No.11/999,880, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONFIGURING A CONSOLIDATED SOFTWAREAPPLICATION Ser. No. 11/999,894, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DATA SELECTIONAND DISPLAY Ser. No. 11/999,896, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATINGDATABASE CONTENT FOR SECURITY ENHANCEMENT Ser. No. 11/999,951, METHODAND SYSTEM FOR CREATING REPORTS Ser. No. 11/999,851, METHOD AND SYSTEMFOR CREATING USER-DEFINED OUTPUTS Ser. No. 11/999,905, DATA DRIVENCOMMUNICATION PROTOCOL GRAMMAR Ser. No. 11/999,770, and HEALTHCAREMANAGEMENT SYSTEM HAVING IMPROVED PRINTING OF DISPLAY SCREEN INFORMATIONSer. No. 11/999,855, the entire disclosures of which are herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference. It should be understood thatthe concepts described below may relate to diabetes management softwaresystems for tracking and analyzing health data, such as, for example,the Accu-Chek® 360◯ product provided by Roche Diagnostics. However, theconcepts described herein may also have applicability to apparatuses,methods, systems, and software in fields that are unrelated tohealthcare. Furthermore, it should be understood that references in thispatent application to devices, meters, monitors, pumps, or related termsare intended to encompass any currently existing or later developedapparatus that includes some or all of the features attributed to thereferred to apparatus, including but not limited to the Accu-Chek®Active, Accu-Chek® Aviva, Accu-Chek® Compact, Accu-Chek® Compact Plus,Accu-Chek® Integra, Accu-Chek® Go, Accu-Chek® Performa, Accu-Chek®Spirit, Accu-Chek® D-Tron Plus, and Accu-Chek® Voicemate Plus, allprovided by Roche Diagnostics or divisions thereof.

The terms “network,” “local area network,” “LAN,” “wide area network,”or “WAN” mean two or more computers which are connected in such a mannerthat messages may be transmitted between the computers. In such computernetworks, typically one or more computers operate as a “server”, acomputer with large storage devices such as hard disk drives andcommunication hardware to operate peripheral devices such as printers ormodems. Other computers, termed “workstations”, provide a user interfaceso that users of computer networks can access the network resources,such as shared data files, common peripheral devices, andinter-workstation communication. The computers have at least oneprocessor for executing machine instructions, and memory for storinginstructions and other information. Many combinations of processingcircuitry and information storing equipment are known by those ofordinary skill in these arts. A processor may be a microprocessor, adigital signal processor (“DSP”), a central processing unit (“CPU”), orother circuit or equivalent capable of interpreting instructions orperforming logical actions on information. Memory includes both volatileand non-volatile memory, including temporary and cache, in electronic,magnetic, optical, printed, or other format used to store information.Users activate computer programs or network resources to create“processes” which include both the general operation of the computerprogram along with specific operating characteristics determined byinput variables and its environment.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of ahomecare system 100 and healthcare system 200 connected via a WAN 150for monitoring data. Systems 100, 200 each comprise a computing device,shown here in the form of computers 102, 202 having processing units,system memory, display devices 114, 214, and input devices 112, 212,110, 210, 106, 206. Healthcare computer 202 may be, but is notnecessarily, acting as a server. Likewise, homecare computer 102 may be,but is not necessarily, acting as a client. Furthermore, while only twocomputers 102, 202 are shown, many more computers may be part of theoverall system.

While standard input devices such as mice 110, 210 and keyboards 112,212 are shown, systems 100, 200 may comprise any user input device. Byexample, infrared (IR) dongles 106, 206 are coupled to each of computers102, 202. IR dongles 106, 206 are configured to send and receive IRtransmissions from health management devices 104, 204. Computers 102,202 include software applications configured to receive data from healthmanagement devices 104, 204 via IR dongles 106, 206 or otherwise. Whilethe use of IR and IR dongles 106, 206 is disclosed herein for thetransmission of data between health management devices 104, 204 andcomputers 102, 202, any other method of wireless transmission is alsoenvisioned, including but not limited to RF. Systems 100, 200 includehealth management software (not shown) configured to receive medicalinformation from one or more of input devices 112, 212, 110, 210, 106,206. Health management devices 104, 204 are described herein as meters,but could also be PDA's, therapeutic pumps, combinations thereof, orother devices that store medical data thereon. Medical information mayinclude blood glucose values, A1c values, Albumin values, Albuminexcretion values, body mass index values, blood pressure values,carbohydrate values, cholesterol values (total, HDL, LDL, ratio)creatinine values, fructosamine values, HbA1 values, height values,insulin dose values, insulin rate values, total daily insulin values,ketone values, microalbumin values, proteinuria values, heart ratevalues, temperature values, triglyceride values, weight values, and anyother medical information that is desired to be known.

IR dongle 106, 206, shown in FIG. 2, includes housing 300, IRtransmission window 302, and interface cable 304. Housing 300 is sizedand shaped to contain IR producing and receiving circuitry therein. IRtransmission window 302 is disposed on one side of housing 300 andallows the transmission of IR signals therethrough. Interface cable 304,shown as a USB cable, allows IR dongle 106, 206 to functionally coupleto computers 102, 202. Housing 300 also includes reception indicator 306and communication indicator 308 thereon. Reception indicator 306provides an indication of reception and the strength of the signal beingreceived from any health management device 104 within range. Receptionindicator 306 further allows a user to adjust the positioning of healthmanagement device 104, 204 and receive feedback, such as, for example,the display of more or fewer reception “bars,” to effect suitablepositioning for data transfer. Communication indicator 308 provides anindication of when data is being transmitted between IR dongle 106, 206and health management device 104, 204.

Health management device 104, 204 may include a housing having an IRwindow, an “IR detected” LED, and a “good link” LED. IR window of healthmanagement device 104, 204 is similar to the IR transmission window 302and permits transmission of IR signals therethrough. The “IR detected”LED is similar to reception indicator 306 and provides an indication ofwhether a compatible dongle 106, 206 is detected within range. The “goodlink” LED is similar to communication indicator 308 and indicates thatthe IR signal from dongle 106, 206 is suitable for sustaining or istransacting data transfer. While indicators 306, 308 and the LEDindicators are described as being present on both dongle 106, 206 andhealth management device 104, 204, embodiments are envisioned whereinindicators would only be present on one of dongle 106, 206 and healthmanagement device 104, 204.

In use, dongle 106, 206, when not transmitting data, emits a beacon. Thebeacon is a repetitive link command that is sent out until either asuccessful IR link is established with health management device 104, 204or the software running on computer 102, 202 is shut down. Although thesoftware is described herein for operation on computer 102, 202 (e.g.,desktop, laptop or tablet), it should be understood that the principlesof the invention may be embodied in software for operation on variousdevices, including but not limited to personal digital assistants(“PDAs”), infusion pumps, blood glucose meters, cellular phones, orintegrated devices including a glucose measurement engine and a PDA orcellular device. Furthermore, dongle 106, 206 may have an instance ofthe software running on itself. Dongle 106, 206 may be integrated intocomputer 102, 202 or any other device.

Whenever health management device 104, 204 is turned on and nottransmitting with dongle 106, 206, the IR communication portion ofhealth management device 104, 204 is in a listening mode. Healthmanagement device 104, 204 is listening for the beacon from dongle 106,206. Listening mode is a mode of reduced power draw relative to a datatransmission mode to prolong battery life while still being able todetect dongle 106, 206. Listening involves periodic scanning for orotherwise attempting to sense the presence of the beacon. Upon “hearing”the beacon, health management device 104, 204 recognizes the beacon andwakes up to an active state. Transition from listening mode to theactive state in one present embodiment of the invention takes less thanfive seconds. Health management device 104, 204 then emits datanecessary for a handshaking protocol in which health management device104, 204 and dongle 106, 206 exchange data to ensure that a properdevice 104, 106, 204, 206 is on the receiving end of their respectivetransmissions, to ensure that the other device is prepared tocommunicate, and to coordinate the start of data transfer.

Once handshaking indicates that proper devices are present, healthmanagement device 104, 204 commences sharing any information that isdesired to be shared with dongle 106, 206. When the data exchange isbeing effected, communication indicator 308 and the “good link” LED areilluminated to indicate that a proper link has been established.Accordingly, a user is provided with visual feedback that healthmanagement device 104, 204 is suitably positioned and that data transferis occurring. When a user sees communication indicator 308 and/or the“good link” LED turn off, the user knows that communication hascompleted and that health management device 104, 204 can be moved awayfrom dongle 106, 206 without fear that such moving will negativelyimpact data transmission. Embodiments are envisioned where communicationindicator 308 and the “good link” LED flash as data is exchanged.

During all times that the beacon is received by health management device104, 204, the “IR detected” LED is illuminated. During all times thatdongle 106, 206 detects health management device 104, 204, receptionindicator 306 is illuminated. Reception indicator 306 includes theillumination of one or more “bars” or other intensity indicators toindicate the strength of the received signal. A greater number ofilluminated bars indicates a stronger signal. Similarly, the “IRdetected” LED can illuminate in more than one color. Red illumination ofthe “IR detected” LED indicates a poor signal. Yellow illumination ofthe LED indicates a medium strength signal. Green illumination of theLED indicates a high strength signal. Alternatively, the LED may bebinary such that there is only one illumination color. In suchembodiments, illumination indicates a satisfactory signal and a lack ofillumination indicates a lack of a satisfactory signal. Suitablelocation of health management device 104, 204 in the present embodimentincludes line of sight positioning such that IR signals can travelbetween health management device 104. 204 and dongle 106, 206 via IRtransmission window 302 and the IR window of device 104, 204.Embodiments are also envisioned where instead of, or along with, visualindices 308, 306, audio indices are provided. Such audio indices couldbe, for example, a first beep to indicate the start of datatransmission, multiple beeps to indicate completion of datatransmission, and multiple beeps that change in frequency to indicatethe strength of signal being received. Such audio indices provide thefunctionality of visual indices 308, 306 to visually impaired users.Similarly, other sensory indicators (e.g., vibration) are envisioned.

Software runs on computers 102, 202 and waits for detection of healthmanagement device 104, 204 via dongle 106, 206. The software includes afirst module that is loaded automatically on startup and runs in thebackground to operate dongle 106, 206 and receive indications of thepresence of health management device 104, 204. For each computing deviceon which the first module is running, the first module simultaneouslyscans the ports the computing device looking for dongles 106, 206. Inaddition to being able to support multiple dongles 106, 206, multipledongles 106, 206 can be simultaneously discovered by the first module.

Upon detection of health management device 104, 204, the first moduleinvokes a related second module that is suitable for receiving anddisplaying data therefrom. The second module either automaticallyaccepts and downloads data from health management device 104, 204 or itprompts a user to ask if data from health management device 104, 204should be downloaded. In embodiments where the data is automaticallydownloaded, it should be appreciated that such downloading occurswithout any user interaction with computers 102, 202. In this automaticembodiment, the first module is loaded automatically on startup ofcomputers 102, 202 and downloading occurs upon detection of healthmanagement device 104, 204. Thus, downloading from health managementdevice 104, 204 is effected with zero manipulation of and zero input to(e.g., zero “clicks” of a mouse) computers 102, 202, provided they arerunning. In another embodiment, the first module may be configured torequest user authorization/verification of the pending download of data(e.g., via a single “click” of a mouse). The second module can also beconfigured such that reports of the newly downloaded data are presentedautomatically. Accordingly, computers 102, 202 are able to producereports with zero clicks and zero interaction with input devices 110,112, 210, 212. In addition to zero-click downloads to computers 102,202, downloads may be similarly performed to other devices such asprinters, faxes, or e-mail messages. Output devices such as printers andfaxes may be configured to automatically produce a hardcopy or report ofthe downloaded data.

Once first health management device 104 is detected by, for example,first dongle 106, the first module continues to scan for additional(second) health management device 204 via second dongle 206 or viadongle 106 if dongle 106 is able to support multiple devices 104, 204.Upon detection of second health management device 204, the handshakingoccurs and the second software module either automatically accepts anddownloads data from health management device 204 or it prompts a user toask if data from health management device 204 should be downloaded.Accordingly, a plurality of health management devices 104, 204 cansimultaneously interface with the software. Furthermore, while thedetection of health management devices 104, 204 has been described in aserial fashion, the software searches all attached dongles 106, 206simultaneously and is able to effect interfacing with multiple healthmanagement devices 104, 204 in parallel.

More specifically, when the first module is active, a Connectapplication programming interface (Connect API) is used. The Connect APIscans all supported and utilized transports, such as dongles 106, 206,in parallel in order to search for connected devices. When the ConnectAPI is called, a Connect package is responsible for determining all ofthe available transports on which to scan for a device. After doing so,each transport is searched in parallel for devices.

A Device Scan List determines the search order. The Device Scan List iscomposed of multiple search contexts. Each context is used to detect adifferent type of device. For example, a RocheACContext detectsActive-Compact meters, RocheMeterContext detects all Roche meters, andRocheSpiritContext detects the Spirit pump. At run time, only onecontext is active at any given instance. The Device Search Order ScanList determines the order in which the contexts attempt to detect adevice. If the context fails to detect anything, the next context isattempted. Each context creates and configures a protocol stack andtriggers a discovery event for a found compatible device 104, 204.

As devices 104, 204 are detected, information is retrieved from eachdevice 104, 204 (e.g., serial number, model number, device name). If thetransport, for example dongle 106, on which device 104 is detected cansupport more than one connecting device 104, 204 then the ConnectPackage continues scanning dongle 106, otherwise, the scanning processis halted on dongle 106 and continued on other connected dongles 206.

As devices 104, 204 are found, an interface to them is returned to therequesting application. This interface can be used to send commands todevice 104, 204 in a common application protocol. When a command is sentto device 104, 204 it is translated from the software command todevice-specific command as it is passed through layers of the relatedprotocol stack.

Once connected, data can be downloaded from the connected device 104,204 and stored in a database within one or both of homecare system 100and healthcare system 200. While the present disclosure has showncomputers 102, 202 having only first and second dongles 106, 206, itshould be appreciated that embodiments are envisioned with more than twodongles 106, 206.

Additionally, while this invention has been described as having anexemplary design, the present invention may be further modified withinthe spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is thereforeintended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the inventionusing its general principles. Further, this application is intended tocover such departures from the present disclosure as come within knownor customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.

1. A medical data transmission system including: a first transceivercoupled to a first computing entity at a first port and configured todetect the presence of and wirelessly receive data via a signalgenerated by a first medical device; a second transceiver coupled to thefirst computing entity at a second port and configured to detect thepresence of and wirelessly receive data from a second medical device;and software running on the first computing device, the softwareincluding a first module that simultaneously scans the ports todetermine whether the transceivers have detected a medical device and asecond module automatically invoked by the first module when atransceiver has detected a medical device, the second module beingconfigured to execute one of automatic downloading of patient relatedmedical data from the detected medical device and prompting a user toauthorize downloading of patient related medical data from the detectedmedical device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiveris a first dongle and the second transceiver is a second dongle.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first and second donglesincludes an externally perceptible indicator of strength of a signalgenerated by a detected medical device.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the indicator includes a set of intensity indicators such that agreater number of activated intensity indicators indicates a greatersignal strength than a signal strength indicated by a smaller number ofactivated intensity indicators.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein atleast one of the first and second dongles further includes an externallyperceptible indicator of data transmission.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein the indicator of data transmission is activated concurrentlywith the data transmission.
 7. The system of claim 1, further includinga processor within the first computing entity configured to execute thefirst and second modules to effect automatic data transfer when one ofthe transceivers detects a signal from a medical device of sufficientstrength for data transfer.
 8. The system of claim 2, wherein at leastone of the first and second dongles includes an emitter that emits abeacon to be detected by at least one of the first and second medicaldevices thereby causing the at least one medical device to engage in ahandshaking operation with the dongle that is emitting the detectedbeacon.
 9. A medical data transmission system including: a first dongleintegrated into a first medical device and coupled to a first computingentity configured to wirelessly receive data via a signal generated bythe first medical device, the first medical device having a glucosemeasurement engine therein; and a second dongle coupled to the firstcomputing entity configured to wirelessly receive data via a signalgenerated by a second medical device; the second dongle being configuredto wirelessly receive data simultaneously with the first donglewirelessly receiving data.
 10. A computer readable medium havingcomputer executable instructions for activating an applicationprogramming interface that scans in parallel a plurality of ports of acomputing device configured to couple to a plurality of transceivers fordetecting and wirelessly receiving medical data from any of a pluralityof medical devices within range of at least one of the plurality oftransceivers, automatically simultaneously downloading patient medicaldata from at least two medical devices each within range of a respectiveat least one of the plurality of transceivers, and prompting a user toauthorize downloading of the medical data when a medical device iswithin range of at least one of the plurality of transceivers.
 11. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions forautomatically downloading the medical data further include instructionsfor storing the medical data in a database, transferring the medicaldata to another device, and creating a report including the medicaldata.
 12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further includinginstructions for causing the plurality of transceivers to emit beaconsfor reception by the medical devices to initiate communication betweenthe medical devices and the transceivers.
 13. The computer readablemedium of claim 12, wherein the transceivers are dongles coupled to thecomputing device and the ports are USB ports.
 14. The computer readablemedium of claim 10, further including instructions for providing anindication of signal strength of a signal received from a detectedmedical device.
 15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, furtherincluding instructions for providing an indication to a user of datatransfer from a detected medical device to a transceiver.
 16. A medicaldata transmission system including: a first transceiver configured todetect the presence of and wirelessly receive medical data from a firstmedical device via a first data signal; the first transceiver emitting afirst beacon signal detectable by the first medical device, a secondtransceiver configured to detect the presence of and wirelessly receivemedical data from a second medical device via a second data signal; thesecond transceiver emitting a second beacon signal detectable by thesecond medical device, and a computing device coupled to the first andsecond transceivers via a first port and a second port, respectively,the computing device executing software including a first module thatsimultaneously scans the ports to determine whether the transceivershave detected a medical device and a second module invoked by the firstmodule when a transceiver has detected a medical device, the secondmodule being configured to execute one of automatic downloading of datafrom the detected medical device and prompting a user to authorizedownloading of data from the detected medical device.
 17. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the beacon signals, when received by a medical devicecauses the medical device to enter an active state.
 18. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the first transceiver is configured to wirelesslyreceive medical data from the second medical device via the second datasignal; the first beacon signal being detectable by the second medicaldevice.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the first and secondmedical devices have a listening mode of decreased power consumptionrelative to an active state.
 20. A medical data communication system,comprising: a plurality of healthcare management devices capable ofgenerating, storing, and communicating medical information including atleast one of blood glucose values, A1c values, Albumin values, Albuminexcretion values, body mass index values, blood pressure values,carbohydrate values, cholesterol values, creatinine values, fructosaminevalues, HbA1 values, height values, insulin dose values, insulin ratevalues, total daily insulin values, ketone values, microalbumin values,proteinuria values, heart rate values, temperature values, triglyceridevalues, and weight values, the plurality of healthcare managementdevices each having a housing, an infrared transmission window, amachine executable program, a light-emitting diode indicator configuredto indicate the detection of an infrared dongle compatible with themachine executable program of the healthcare management device, whereinthe machine executable program includes a plurality of modes including anoncommunication mode configured to execute when the healthcaremanagement device is not in communication with an infrared dongle and anactive mode configured to execute upon the healthcare management devicecommunicating with an infrared dongle, further wherein the healthcaremanagement device is configured to initiate a handshake protocol when aninfrared dongle compatible with the machine executable program of thehealthcare management device is recognized and upon completion of thehandshake protocol the healthcare management device is configured tocommunicate the generated medical information to the infrared dongle; acomputing device, including a display, a plurality of universal serialbus ports configured to receive universal serial bus interface cables, amemory capable of receiving and storing medical information and having amachine readable program with a first module and a second module, and aprocessor configured to execute the machine readable program of thememory, wherein the first module includes a plurality of machineexecutable instructions configured to operate independently of thedisplay and configured to scan the plurality of universal serial busports for detection of a state of connectivity of at least one of theplurality of healthcare management devices and upon detection of thestate of connectivity the first module being configured to invoke thesecond module having a second plurality of machine executableinstructions capable of downloading the medical information generatedand stored in the at least one of the plurality of healthcare managementdevices, wherein the second module is capable of automaticallydownloading the medical information generated and stored in the at leastone of the plurality of healthcare management devices and downloadingthe medical information generated and stored in the at least one of theplurality of healthcare management devices upon execution of a usercommand, and further wherein the computing device is capable ofcommunication with a wireless network; and a plurality of infrareddongles each having a housing, an infrared transmission windowconfigured for transmitting and receiving infrared transmissions fromthe plurality of healthcare management devices, a reception indicatorhaving a plurality of reception bar indices and configured to indicatethe communication ability of the infrared dongle with a detectedhealthcare management device, a communication indicator configured toindicate communication of medical information from a healthcaremanagement device to the infrared dongle, and an emitter capable ofrepeatedly transmitting an infrared communication beacon, wherein theinfrared communication beacon is configured to be detectable by acompatible healthcare management device and elicit an infraredtransmission response from the healthcare management device, furtherwherein each infrared dongle of the plurality of infrared dongles iscapable of connecting to a universal serial bus cable such that eachinfrared dongle is capable of coupling to a computing device at one ofthe plurality of universal serial bus ports of the computing device, andfurther wherein each infrared dongle of the plurality of infrareddongles is configured to communicate with the machine executable programof the computing device and the machine executable program of thehealthcare management device and facilitate communication of the medicalinformation generated by the medical device to the memory of thecomputing device.